MOST POPULAR FEATURESTop 50 Pokémon of All Time
Can you believe there are now six generations of Pokémon? Six!! That's a crazy amount of different creatures to collect. But which are the cream of the crop? Don't worry, Magikarp isn't actually one of them.

I am a PS3 owner and someday hope to be a PS4 owner, yet I am not at all dissatisfied with my choice to delay purchase, solely based on the current PS4 library. When I transitioned from a Playstation 1 to a Playstation 2, I was pleasantly surprised that I could for the most part rid myself of my PS1...

BASKETBALL.

At least that is what I thought I would be playing when I broke the seal on 989's
NCAA Final Four 2000. Unfortunately, it was not the game I hoped it would
be. Let's get right to it.

The game begins with a flashy new teleplay that collages the recent
activities at 989 Studios intermingled with highlights from the array of
sports that they currently make games for. The excitement soon fades. While
I perused the instruction booklet, I first noticed the controls. They were
quite different from the controls I was used to. Troubled by this, I tried
to figure out how to remedy the situation only to find that I did not have
the option to do so. We move on.

You can choose to play the normal variety of game play options. You have the
ability to chose from a huge sampling of collegiate teams. Finding your alma
mater could be quite exhilarating. Take on your cross-town rival, your in-state
rival or have a swipe at number 1. Anything can happen at the playground, but
sometimes nothing at all.

The game is not very good. The players move abruptly and in straight lines,
the graphics are outdated and even unintelligible at times. The players do not
seem to be governed by the laws of physics which makes it hard to time your
rebounding because the players jump up and fall back down at very different
speeds. The detail is poor, with pudgy, uninteresting skins slapped on the ballers.
This was a problem in last year's version
as well...is anyone taking notes?

You'll also notice some minor graphical flair in animated referees and cheerleaders. Nice touch, but it hardly makes up for the lame on-court graphics.

The somewhat awkward control interferes with playing solid defense, but you can eventually get the hang of it. The biggest omission is the absence of a crossover dribble. I can't think of another game out there that did not include this essential ball handling skill, two years ago!

Quinn Buckner is
back to handle the commentating. Quinn should retire from game announcing once
and for all, as his quips are repetitive and annoying.

What the designers appear to have had in mind was a true team game. They included
sharp passing with set plays that characterize the scrambling nature of the
college game. Good intentions, but not very exciting. I enjoy a more individually
precise game that does not feel like I am simply pressing a combination of buttons
in sequence, but rather reacting to the game as it occurs. Athletes begin to
get really creative with their play at the college level, and the game needs
more examples of that.

989 has a reputation for creating games that bend the rules and the
attitude of the sports they are based upon. These games are entertaining and
fun, but are rarely very realistic. They tried to go the
opposite route with Final Four 2000 bby upping the realism, but strayed to the far end of the spectrum.

With all the competition involved in the sports game genre, NCAA Final Four
2000 has a long way to go to keep up with the likes of March Madness 2000. It appears outdated and under-produced with nothing of real interest to set it apart. Division 1 ball is a spirited endeavor with atmosphere and excitement. Although team play is great for the cause of sportsmanship, individual players often dominate and that's what pushes them to the next level. Next time, let's see some showtime.